My attempt at a serious thread

[Raider_69]

My sleep habits quite frankly are sh*t, but they're a necessity. I sleep between 3am and 8am every night, and that's about it.

pretty much the same as me except different times
for the past 4-5 years ive lived off 5 hours sleep max... i get up for work atm, at 5:15, so on a bad night i get an hour if that, got a good 6 last night which was nice

 

[Nikki]

Really? That's awesome!

My parents bring up the usual "Oh what if something happens to you?" speel...But the way see it, if you're going to be a bouncer or a security guard...Well, realistically, it's a risk you have to be willing to take. And it's not a testosterone thing - I don't think I'd enjoy man-handling people for a living "lol". But like you said - some people have great opportunities presented to them, such as working at Eels games or like some people I know who worked security for The Rock when he came out to Australia last summer!

Well since the boys started they have also done security or moreso, crowd control at the Grand Final, Australia V Bahrain Soccer match (I think they both got to look after the teams/managers), and I last heard Eela may have been doing the U2 concert (and he is a HUUUUGE fan). So it definately has it perks, especially if its something you like doing.

 

[Houdini]

I read your entire post and thought it was really well thought out and very deep. But to me, this part in particular reaches me.

It's the area I have the most trouble with - it kills me that my life has no direction and, althoguh I shouldn't care, having people telling me, "Oh, you're smart enough to be a doctor or a lawyer - and you want to waste all that!"...It really hurts...And it doesn't help me get out if this rut I'm in.

The other day I had an idea - I figured I'd talk to my uncle's friend. He used to work security and as a bouncer, and he loved it. I figured I'd talk to him about it, get my security licence, work as a guard and one day maybe open my own security chain. Of course, I was met with harsh criticism by family anf friends, saying I was wasting my life...I shouldn't care...But I do.

But I figure I'm going to go ahead with it anyway.

Caring about what others think and say is part of human nature, because we do want to live up to their expectations, we want to make them proud of us etc

You have a goal, and I say good luck and go for it. Maybe point out to them this is what you want and tell them about your ultimate goal, it's a worth a try, maybe they will understand once they see the whole picture ie having your own security company.

And no, it's not wasting your brains, its doing something you like, something you want to do and something you hope to achieve at. Wasting your brains is being stuck in a career you hate, not achieveing anything because you won't have the desire to and regretting opportunities that you may have passed up.

Good Luck Eelementary

 

[Eelementary]

Thanks!

It's a really stupid position to be in. Ever since I did my HSC and fizzled it, my extended family has been quick to laud it over me and point out how "I've wasted my potential" and "Thrown away my gift for academia". But I went down that road, and really couldn't hack it. I figure I could give it another go - I am interested in law -, but if it's not the right option, it's just more time and money wasted...

So, I figure I'll stick with this for now. And if worse comes to worse, at least I'll save some money up, and I can at least use it to travel or something (although I really am tired of travelling lol).

I don't know...It's really flattering (and yet frustrating at the same time) when you're growing up, and your family constantly says, "We have high hopes for you! You're the smartest kid in the family!" and when they bring up instances of when you did well (in my case, going straight from kindergarten to year 2; winning a school spelling bee including kids from years 1 to 10 when I was in year 4; coming in the top 10% in the state for Maths in my HSC and top 5% in Chemistry anf Biology)...It feels good, but then when you don't end up going down the path they expected you to, they get disappointed. And their support, whilst still there, is not really that committed. It's a frustrating challenge to be a part of - without wanting to place the blame squarely on them, it hardly helps to see that they're not really that keen to support whichever path I decide to go down.

 

[Dr Crane]

Thanks!

It's a really stupid position to be in. Ever since I did my HSC and fizzled it, my extended family has been quick to laud it over me and point out how "I've wasted my potential" and "Thrown away my gift for academia".

You know, my extended family would have been told to get f**ked.

I can handle my nuclear family telling me i'm wasting my potential.

 

[Martli]

Eele, you're only 21 though eh? If the security thing isn't your cuppa you've still got heaps of time to look at other sh*t.

 

[Crusher]

he could also get hired as a hit man. A couple of jobs a year an you're set!

 

[Houdini]

Thanks!

It's a really stupid position to be in. Ever since I did my HSC and fizzled it, my extended family has been quick to laud it over me and point out how "I've wasted my potential" and "Thrown away my gift for academia". But I went down that road, and really couldn't hack it. I figure I could give it another go - I am interested in law -, but if it's not the right option, it's just more time and money wasted...

So, I figure I'll stick with this for now. And if worse comes to worse, at least I'll save some money up, and I can at least use it to travel or something (although I really am tired of travelling lol).

I don't know...It's really flattering (and yet frustrating at the same time) when you're growing up, and your family constantly says, "We have high hopes for you! You're the smartest kid in the family!" and when they bring up instances of when you did well (in my case, going straight from kindergarten to year 2; winning a school spelling bee including kids from years 1 to 10 when I was in year 4; coming in the top 10% in the state for Maths in my HSC and top 5% in Chemistry anf Biology)...It feels good, but then when you don't end up going down the path they expected you to, they get disappointed. And their support, whilst still there, is not really that committed. It's a frustrating challenge to be a part of - without wanting to place the blame squarely on them, it hardly helps to see that they're not really that keen to support whichever path I decide to go down.

It isn't a stupid position to be in, the same thing happend to me. I went to university for the sole reason of keeping my parents happy and 6 months later I ended dropping out cause I just hated being there and never wanted to be there in the first place.

I guess your parents can see all your potential and they know you could really make something of yourself, but the real issue is, you need to be happy and doing something you want to do.

Don't be afraid to try something for fear of failure, if you don't make a go of it, you will never know, plus you still have plenty of time to take another path if it doesn't work out.

I'm 27 and just this June I packed in full time work and now just working part time so I can study again. Yeh, it's scarey, I'm living on a tight budget and not sure if I will reach my goal, but I'm gonna do my best to make it work. It's never too late in my opinion, the challenges just might be a little bigger is all.

 

[God-King Dean]

Thanks!

It's a really stupid position to be in. Ever since I did my HSC and fizzled it, my extended family has been quick to laud it over me and point out how "I've wasted my potential" and "Thrown away my gift for academia". But I went down that road, and really couldn't hack it. I figure I could give it another go - I am interested in law -, but if it's not the right option, it's just more time and money wasted...

So, I figure I'll stick with this for now. And if worse comes to worse, at least I'll save some money up, and I can at least use it to travel or something (although I really am tired of travelling lol).

I don't know...It's really flattering (and yet frustrating at the same time) when you're growing up, and your family constantly says, "We have high hopes for you! You're the smartest kid in the family!" and when they bring up instances of when you did well (in my case, going straight from kindergarten to year 2; winning a school spelling bee including kids from years 1 to 10 when I was in year 4; coming in the top 10% in the state for Maths in my HSC and top 5% in Chemistry anf Biology)...It feels good, but then when you don't end up going down the path they expected you to, they get disappointed. And their support, whilst still there, is not really that committed. It's a frustrating challenge to be a part of - without wanting to place the blame squarely on them, it hardly helps to see that they're not really that keen to support whichever path I decide to go down.

They say that because they know they've wasted their potential.

I learnt from an early age (I'm sure a lot of people do though) that when people say " you should live this way or that" or "you can't do that". they are referring to themselves. Make no mistake, people want you to fail, they will say you should live their way, because that makes them feel better.

 

[Phillips]

my dad tells me to get a harley davidson and ride around the country :|

 

[Eelementary]

Yeah, I'm only 21. Plenty of time, I guess!

I always told myself - if this security thing doesn't pan out, I may go back to studying. But, of course, that's the wrong option according to the family, because it would take too long to do. :roll:

 

[Timmah]

I hate Uni. I'm over the moon I'm lucky enough to be in a fulltime job. i did a fun college course to earn a Diploma for 18 months after school finished and then after a short break I went into the industry. Now I'm earning, with the added possibility of further free learning (on the job).

I simply don't want to study. It's not fun, it adds stress. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Martli]

Fair enough T. Uni isn't for everyone - you have to truely enjoy what you're studying. For me to achieve what I want to, I need a university qualification so that's why i'm there. I enjoy it . You on the other hand, can get to where you want to be without the need for a university qualification (by the sounds of it). I personally think too much emphasis is placed on going to uni. It seems to be a popular assumption that someone who attends university is a "successful" person sure, getting a degree is no easy task, but by no means is it an automatic ticket to success. I might go to uni, but I absolutely loathe those who think they're better than others for the simple fact that they go to university. To sum it up, university is not the only ticket to success, it just seems to be the most popular and most recognised.

 

[Timmah]

I don't even think uni would be tagged 'popular'. All my uni friends whinge about being poor and having assignments and essays and whatnot... but then talk about their topics incessantly. It's a means to an end for a lot of people that costs a sh*tload of money

 

[Martli]

I don't even think uni would be tagged 'popular'. All my uni friends whinge about being poor and having assignments and essays and whatnot... but then talk about their topics incessantly. It's a means to an end for a lot of people that costs a sh*tload of money

Popular as in people give it a high status.

 

[Timmah]

I don't know many of my friends who hold it in high regards, that's what I mean.

 

[Martli]

I'm talking about employers, parents etc. etc.

 

[Timmah]

True, but usually a number of years in the same job can be significantly more advantageous than a series of string-together jobs while obtaining said degree.

 

[Martli]

Depends though. There is no right or wrong answer. It completely depends what industry you want to get into. What is "better" for one person isn't "better" for another. I want to be a chartered accountant, I can't do this without a degree. It would be "better" for me to get a degree rather than work the same job hoping to achieve something from that. All i'm trying to say is that a lot of people view having a uni degree or even just being a uni student as more successful than someone who has opted to work after school and this isn't always the case.

 

[Timmah]

TBH, when it comes down to it, I'm sick of my friends deliberately turning to uni-based conversation at most gatherings - sometimes it's like it's carefully orchestrated to leave me out